Psalm 8:3-4

"When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?"

Psalm 8, like most things in life, is best considered in context. So firstly, I encourage you to read the whole Psalm. With that in mind, I know that I am not the only person who stares up at the night sky and feels overawed by the reality of what I am seeing. Then to realise that the Creator is mindful of us, and caring of each one of us is difficult for us to comprehend.

I learnt a couple of weeks ago that traditionally, Maori sat and watched the sunrise and/or sunset to help them feel balanced in life. I instantly resonated with the idea. Sitting on the picnic chair with my blanket seeing God’s beauty and all its colours. Then accepting the contentment.

I encourage each one of us to take the time to be still and know that He is God.

Principal, Brendan van Oostveen

Lily Bull gained an NZQA Scholarship in Design in the recent 2019 examinations. To put this into perspective, 65 out of 2294 students (2.83%) gain Scholarship. Lily also gained NCEA Level 3 with Excellence. Gaining Scholarship comes with a $500 payment but the real benefit is the higher-order thinking that has been achieved. No doubt Lily is well prepared for tertiary studies.

LAC is very proud of this achievement. Having said that no one is happier than Mrs Bain, Lily’s Design teacher.

Lily’s work will be exhibited at Te Manawa in the near future. When the dates come to hand we will communicate them to the school community.

NZQA Scholarship in Religious Studies is now available. Two or three years ago LAC was at the forefront of getting Religious Studies to be made available at this level. A big thank you to all the work that Mrs Aiono and others did for this to happen. Mrs Aiono is also a member of the Religious Studies Teacher Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (RSTAANZ).

A number of years ago Mr Stan Walsh, who was the AP at LAC at the time, was one of the lead writers of the original NCEA achievement standards. So there is a significant tradition of LAC being a significant influence in the teaching of Religious Studies in New Zealand. Mr Walsh was excited to hear of this next step forward when the good news was shared with him recently.

In 2020 Longburn Adventist College welcomed four new teachers to it’s teaching team. They include Mr Kofi Amoah, Mr Nathan White, Mrs Priscilla Tooley and Mr Dee Ngarepa. 

Mr Kofi Amoah takes the position of chaplain and is already well known to LAC as he has been a volunteer dean in LAC House for the last few years. Prior to coming to New Zealand, Mr Amoah was a trained secondary school teacher in the fields of Science and Mathematics. 

Mr Nathan White is also reasonably well known to LAC as he has helped out with relief on a number of occasions. Mr White is a trained Primary School teacher who has also taught at the Secondary Level. He has a wide range of learning areas, with Geography being an area of the particular passion. 

Mrs Priscilla Tooley has also been a relief teacher at LAC and has previously been employed in a teaching roll in the intermediate department. She is both a primary trained and secondary trained teacher. Mrs Tooley now takes on the role of Hospitality/Home Economics Teacher. 

Matua Dee Ngarepa joins Mrs Olivia Korte in the PE/Health/Invictus learning area. He comes to us from Horowhenua College and is married to Mrs Stephanie Ngarepa. 

We welcome all of these teachers to Longburn Adventist College, and we are excited to have them.

For the first time in a long time we have a new Senior Boys' Dean, Mr Jefferson Souza. Mr Souza has been in New Zealand for three years and prior to that was a Principal of a large Secondary School in Brazil. I know that he is very pleased to be able to get back into education and already his sense of humour has been greatly appreciated. 

A number of new volunteer deans have also arrived. Lorraine Edwards and Kelsey Landa both from the USA, also Wily Cruz who is from Brazil. We welcome all the new Deans to LAC House and look forward to growing those relationships.

With new and returning boarders arriving different times throughout this past week due to year levels induction at school, we are happy to see our dorm numbers expand. Thanks also to returning boarders and staff Mr Lance Stimpson, Mr Wynn Llena, for your presence and assistance to grow together as a family for His glory this year.

Over the holidays the school has been busy improving facilities for students. This has included an outdoor chess set with so-called giant pieces. If you are wondering, the surface is made out of a product called playtop which is made out of recycled tyres. In between the tennis courts and the football field a long-jump pit and runway has been built. The runway is also made out of playtop, which is an all-weather surface that provides grip and also has a little give in it. No doubt students will enjoy the opportunity to practice for the upcoming athletics day on the 26th of February 2020.

Longburn Adventist College belongs to the Seventh-day Adventist Education network, who have asked us to update our uniforms with the new branding. No doubt, many caregivers and parents have noticed the change, that has been undertaken. There have also been new items added to the uniform list, including two different styles of hat, baseball cap style and a bucket style hat.

Currently, we are working on a school scarf for students to wear and also a sulu (lavalava), which is a traditional and formal Polynesian attire. The sulu will be made available to all students as a uniform option. We are looking forward to completing the final design.

We are keeping in touch with developments concerning the Coronavirus and will notify our community if and when any action needs to occur.  A statement received on Monday 3rd February from the Secretary for Education, Iona Holstead is included.

The following statement was received from the Secretary for Education, Iona Holstead, Monday 3rd February: 

Tēnā koutou

You will have seen that the Prime Minister has made an announcement this afternoon. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-restrict-travel-china-protect-against-coronavirus.  It includes the following information concerning all foreign nationals travelling from, or transiting through mainland China:

“The Government is placing temporary entry restrictions into New Zealand on all foreign nationals travelling from, or transiting through mainland China to assist with the containment of the novel coronavirus and to protect New Zealand and the Pacific Islands from the disease.

This will take effect from tomorrow and will be in place for up to 14 days. This position will be reviewed every 48 hours.

Any foreign travellers who leave or transit through mainland China after 2 February 2020 (NZ time) will be refused entry to New Zealand.

Any foreign travellers in transit to New Zealand on 2 February 2020 will be subject to enhanced screening on arrival but, pending clearance, will be granted entry to New Zealand.

New Zealand citizens and permanent residents returning to New Zealand will still be able to enter, as will their immediate family members, but will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival back in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has also raised its travel advice to New Zealanders for all of mainland China to “Do not travel”, the highest level.”

The Ministry of Education, TEC, and NZQA are working together and we will provide you with information over the next couple of days regarding the Government’s announcement.  In the meantime please contact TEC, NZQA or the Ministry of Education with any questions or concerns. We will keep our websites updated.

Please continue to refer to the Ministry of Health website for health advice and the latest information:

Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) guidance – Ministry of Health

Everyone’s health and wellbeing, including international students’, is important to us.  While there are no confirmed or suspected cases in New Zealand at the moment, the Ministry of Health continues to encourage a precautionary approach and a focus on good hygiene.  Please err on the side of caution and be alert, not alarmed.

Thank you for your recent work and support helping our students, parents, staff and providers on this issue, I appreciate the complexity that the current situation causes.  I know you all have the interests of our children and students as your priority.

Nāku noa, nā

Iona Holsted

Secretary for Education

Prior to NZ closing its borders to individuals who have recently travelled to China, all international students at LAC have been asked whether they have travelled to China.  No international student has travelled to China who has arrived before the ban.  

We are understandably concerned as you are about what the effect of the coronavirus may be. This is why we are reviewing the situation on an on-going basis. As I said earlier, in some regards, the NZ government has taken the strongest response by not allowing non-NZ travellers to China to enter NZ.  

Currently, two students have been identified as a potential concern. They have been instructed to stay where they are and we have been in discussions with that family with the review of them returning in Term Two.

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